Grace Philips, Director, Writer, Co-Producer

Sloan Grant(s) Received: 2022, Columbia University, Production Award

Project Type: Short

Genre: Drama

Length: 13 minutes 

Field of Science: Chemistry and Advanced Imaging Technology

Stage: Sales and Distribution 

Synopsis: 

Georgette in the Garden is a nineteenth-century painting by the renowned and mysterious Jean-Francois Bordeleau that was once thought to be lost to history. On the surface, the portrait depicts a young girl, Georgette, reading a book in a garden. Though just beneath a few layers of paint, a second portrait—of the same little girl—depicts her sprawled nude in the grass with an alluring expression.

Monica, a paintings conservator at a small museum, is part of a team of scholars, curators, and conservators tasked with advising the portrait’s private owner on its potential restoration. With many questions unanswerable, Monica struggles with the ethical and moral consequences of unearthing a so-called masterpiece into the modern world.